What Do Long-Distance Caregivers Need to Know

Being a long-distance caregiver means that family caregivers face some unique difficulties, especially as seniors continue to age in place and start to need more assistance. Planning ahead for those times can make them easier, as can putting senior home care providers in place earlier in the caregiving journey. There are lots of steps long-distance caregivers can take to help seniors from far away.

Prepare and Organize the Home

Falls are the leading cause of injuries for seniors at home. Family caregivers need to be proactive in order to head off issues related to falls. Ensuring that seniors have an organized home that works well for their needs is an important first step. Home care providers can help seniors do this if family caregivers can’t be there in person.

Develop Fall Prevention Plans

The next step in preventing falls is to put a fall prevention plan to work. This means assessing fall risks, identifying hazards in the home, and making changes that help seniors stay safe. Removing slippery throw rugs, eliminating clutter, and adding safety lighting are important pieces to add to the plan.

Talk About Medication Compliance

Seniors who take medications need to take their medications properly in order to get the most benefit from them. Regular medication conversations with the senior’s doctor helps to ensure that dosages are correct and that side effects are reasonable. Senior home care providers can’t give seniors medications, but they can remind seniors when it’s time to take medications. This can offer peace of mind to family caregivers who can’t be there to help seniors themselves.

Discuss Emergency Plans

It’s also important for long-distance caregivers to talk with their seniors about what their emergency plans are. Depending on where seniors live, they may need plans related to hurricane preparedness, wildfire preparation, and other natural disasters. They also need a plan for what happens if they experience a medical emergency or trouble at home. This is something senior home care providers can help with as well. Having professional caregivers available on a regular basis helps seniors stay safer in general and gives them someone to talk to about various emergency plans.

Ensure Seniors Have Hands-on Help

Another aspect of long-distance caregiving is that family caregivers may not be able to be there as often as they want to be to handle tasks for the seniors they love. Senior home care providers can help with laundry, stay on top of tidying the house, and help seniors take showers safely if that’s a challenge. Having help with these tasks allows seniors to stay where they are, aging in place with their independence still intact. Even if family caregivers can’t be there in person, they know seniors are in good hands.

Preventing injuries and other possible issues at home for seniors is an important goal for long-distance caregivers, but they may not have as much control over that as they would like. Getting help from senior home care providers gives them assistance and support that they can rely on to keep seniors safe and comfortable.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in East Quogue, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at (631) 685-5001